of India globally over the past few
years, we see India coming to the
forefront in many business discussions across different industries,”
says Nicole Ali, vice president of
international sales for Northern Response Intl. Ltd. in Toronto.

Ali says India has set the stage
to give China a “run for its rupee”
for two reasons: hope and survival.
“The hope is it’ll be a hotbed of viable resources and innovation, and
that [it will retain] the resilience to
survive and flourish despite the odds
stacked against them,” Ali says.
“Add to that democracy, upward
mobility, tremendous talent for IT
solutions, entrepreneurship and
both local and foreign investment and you’ve got a breeding
ground for heavy competition where China is concerned and
ultimately excellence as the two nations duke it out.”

Ghai says India is less challenging to enter than China
— from a DRTV standpoint — for these reasons:

• It has much easier access to media, with more to come.

“During the past few years,
India has become more and
more Westernized. They speak
English in commericals to show
they’re advanced and can
keep up with Western trends.
They also place a lot of trust in
American products, and they
sellveryeasily.” —TonySziklai, Moulton Logistics Managment

• Business is conducted in English.

• It has plenty of call centers.

• Indians spend and Chinese tend to save

— Ghai says, “India is a very price-sensitive market, but also highly brand
conscious, which for Guthy-Renker is
perfect.”

• Indians recognize and admire American

stars — “It’s pro-American,” she says.

Stefan Kuhne, Ghai’s counterpart
with Guthy-Renker in China, says India’s lawmakers are more favorable and
supportive of DRTV than China’s.

“China is well ahead of the game,
but the legislators there have so far not
really created a favorable environment
for a healthy DRTV development,”
Kuhne says.

He says that’s due to state-ownership of TV in China and the
role TV plays in China. He adds that some DRTV operators are
testing the legal borders for what can be sold and claimed in a
DRTV spot.